2020 Viña Mein O Gran Meín Blanco

Javier Alen is the pioneer of the Treixadura in this historically important appellation of Galicia (Ribeiro). 2015 was a very important year for him, as he decided to take on the team of Comando G for a thorough makeover of his wines. The results are impressive. The wines now have even more personality, purity and fine minerality.

From 2015, the philosophy of Comando G is applied more as a vinification: biodynamic, non-interventionist, native yeasts and from 2018 Viña Mein is owned by the Pago de Carraovejas group, which also includes Emilio Rojo and the famous Verdejo wines fromOssian . The 2020 Gran Meín Val do Avia or the O Gran Meín was released in the fall of 2022 and is the top model of Vina Mein. The wine is made from the authentic Ribeiro varietals characterized by the sábrego soil profile of the area.

The vineyards are on typical Galician granite soil with a shallow layer of vegetation on top of between 70 and 100 cm, often with very little organic matter. The top layer consists mainly of 'sábrego', a mixture of clay and sand consisting of granite grains. The result of millions of years of erosion of the large 'bolos' or giant boulders. The bodega is built against one of these bolos: a giant boulder more than 5 m high. The Gran Meín Val do Avia is a blend of Treixaduram Godello, Albariño, Torrontés, Loureira, Lado and Caíño. The grapes are harvested manually from authentic field-blend vineyards (i.e. vineyards where different varieties are mixed together) and transferred to the winery, where each variety and plot is separated from the rest to extract the maximum purity from all parts of this environment

The location in the valley ensures that there is a big difference between day and night, often up to 20 ° C difference, which ensures that the grapes ripen perfectly and slowly, so that there is more aroma and concentration. There is quite a lot of sun and little rainfall by Galician standards. Quite a lot of thunderstorms at the end of the summer and solid freezing cold during the winter. There are also many days with fog. This fantastic white wine from Galicia has freshness infused with aromas of white spring flowers, a touch of citrus, saltiness from the sea injection perfectly balanced. In the mouth the wine is very elegant and everything is right. The wine feels like it is: very delicate and pure. Under the flag of the Pago De Carraovejas group, Vina Mein has taken the step to make the most beautiful wines of Galicia. With the great backbone and acidity, this is certainly also a wine that will improve with a few years of bottle aging. 93/100 Parker - Drinking window: 2023-2030+

FACT: Under the Tab attachment you will find the fact sheet and some more images. Did you know that you will automatically receive the digital fact sheet with an order

Winery Vina Mein

Viña Mein is the personal project of Javier Alen, pioneer of the Ribeiro region. Since 2014, he has been assisted by the young wolves of Comando G, who are converting the entire domain to biodynamics and opting for a fresher, mineral style. Without a doubt the best of the Treixadura! The Ribeiro appellation is the oldest appellation in Galicia. The green province of Ourense has a long history in viticulture. Already in the 12th century, the wines of Ribeiro were known all over Spain. The Treixadura grape in particular played a major role in this.

Javier Alen, owner of Viña Mein, is without a doubt the pioneer of the Treixadura revival Javier spent as a small boy until he was 6 years old in Leiro, a small village near the monastery of San Clodio. His parents then moved to Madrid, but the memory of his native region revived every summer when the family went to the ancestral home in Leiro for three months. Javier worked as a lawyer in Madrid for more than 15 years, but eventually turned his life around: he founded a bookshop in Madrid specializing in travel literature and returned to Leiro in 1987 to become a winegrower. He completely restored the old Pazo of Viña Mein into a beautiful hotel and a small wine estate.

Today, Viña Mein is at the forefront of the new white wines from Ribeiro. The Treixadura in coupage with other typical grape varieties guarantees fresh and mineral white wines. A small amount of red wines are also made with the typical grape varieties. Since the beginning of 2019, Viña Mein has been part of the Pago de Carreavojas group, which includes Emilio Rooja and Ossian in addition to the famous ribera wines from Carrraovejas.

Treixadura is the main grape. It matures slowly and cannot withstand planting at high altitudes. The skin is coarse and hard (hence its name). The acidity is perfect, full of floral aromas and fruity notes. The Treixadura is complemented in its coupage by other grape varieties, some of which can also be found in other Galician regions. In Viña Mein, about 12 hectares have been planted.

Godello (1.8 ha) is the grape best suited to ripening at high altitudes. This grape has a short cycle and produces small grapes, a grape variety that thrives perfectly against the slopes of the valley.

Albariño (0.5 ha) is very limited. This grape gives strength and at the same time finesse to the wines. In addition, this grape can combine high alcohol levels with a lot of acidity, which is exceptional.

Torrontés (0.6 ha) is an old variety that used to be widespread in Spain. This grape gives freshness and a slightly bitter aftertaste. Torrontés is rather light in structure, making the coupage of a grape with a lot of structure such as Lado perfect.

Lado (0.2 ha) is a grape of clear Atlantic origin, which has become very rare. This grape has the perfect capacity to combine high alcohol content with high acidity (like Albariño), aromatic, but less fine and exotic than the Albariño.

Loureira (0.8 ha) is a varietal whose roots are difficult to trace and which is very different from many other typical Atlantic grape varieties. Nevertheless, Loureira was traditionally planted in Ribeiro. Yet this grape is not immediately suitable for monovarietal wines, due to very low alcohol contents, many bitters and high acids. The grape was mainly planted because of its high aromatic potential with great complexity; his name also refers to it (Loureira is Galician for laurel). That is why a small amount in a coupage can add a lot. The beautiful spiciness that we find in the Viña Mein also comes from this grape variety.

Finally, Albilla (0.2 ha) is a minor grape that mainly brings glycerol in the coupage with delicate aromas of honey.

Vinification
Harvesting is done manually. Cold maceration. The grapes are manipulated as little as possible. The regular Viña Mein is then fermented in stainless steel tanks. With the grapes from the best plots, a maturation in large casks of 500 and 600 liters (French oak) is applied. The élevage on the yeast cells lasts about 6-9 months, with regular bâtonnages.